No one is immune from the appearance of foreign tumors on the body - rashes, wen, acne, moles, papillomas, etc. Some of them are absolutely safe and do not pose any harm to health, while others can provoke the development of quite serious diseases, even cancer .
Subcutaneous bumps can appear anywhere: on the legs, arms, face, including the cheeks and other parts of the body. As a rule, their occurrence is noticed after the neoplasm reaches a large size.
Types of subcutaneous bumps
This is a seal that comes in several varieties. Some of them appear almost instantly - within a few hours, others are characterized by slow growth, so their increase in size can be noticed only after a certain amount of time. In any case, if you notice a thickening under the skin, you need to monitor its behavior and, if necessary, consult a doctor. This symptom should not be ignored, since a subcutaneous lump may be the first sign of an incipient disease.
The most common types of subcutaneous neoplasms are:
- A fatty tumor or lipoma is a benign neoplasm that consists of fat cells. It has clear boundaries and is soft to the touch. It can appear on any part of the body (back, shoulders, elbows), without having any effect on the internal organs. The tumor has its own capsule.
- Hygroma. This is an absolutely safe lump, one of the types of cysts. The lump on the hand under the skin (on the wrist) looks like a ball or lump. Hygroma is the result of the accumulation of fluid between tendons that are constantly under tension, and therefore most often appears on the hands.
- Lumps on the leg under the skin. If such a lump appears, you should immediately consult a doctor and undergo an examination. A neoplasm on the lower leg may indicate the development of quite dangerous pathologies.
- Joint nodes or growths. These are immobile, hard neoplasms that accompany the development of gout or arthritis.
- Cyst or atheroma. It is formed as a result of blockage of a violation of the outflow of secretions secreted by the sebaceous glands. The fluid gradually accumulates and forms a lump, shaped like a cyst. The neoplasm has a capsule filled with a thick mass. Most often, atheroma appears in places where sebaceous glands accumulate and near the hairline. May spread throughout the body. Threatens the development of the inflammatory process and suppuration.
- Painful lumps. Appear within a few hours due to an insect bite, bruise or infection under the skin (through a cut, scratch). In this case, there may be an increase in body temperature. Such bumps are treated quite quickly. If the lumps appear as a result of an impact, long-term therapy may be required.
Malignant causes
First of all, when talking about the malignant causes of the formation of a lump under the skin, skin cancer is indicated.
With the development of this disease, neoplasms can appear in different areas of the skin and have different colors. As a rule, they bind to the structures of the skin and surrounding tissues.
In the later stages of development, pus begins to flow from such a lump, and it is constantly painful.
In addition to skin cancer, the lump can cause a malignant tumor of the superficial structures. In this case we will talk about:
- Basal cell carcinoma.
- Soft tissue sarcoma.
- Neurofibromatosis.
Such bumps may initially not cause suspicion in patients at all, but what should be alarming is that they develop quickly and can reach quite large sizes, up to tens of centimeters.
Features of formations on the hands
A harmless neoplasm most often appears on the hand, in particular on the wrist, called a hygroma. It usually develops near tendons and joints, in places that are often subject to injury. In some cases, hygroma develops due to hereditary characteristics. Most often, the disease affects young women aged 20–30 years. Experts attribute this to the constant stress on the hands of a young mother when she is carrying a baby.
If the cyst is hidden (under the ligaments), it can only be detected in the clinic, where the patient comes with complaints of pain in the wrist joints that occurs when flexing the hand.
Basically, subcutaneous tumors in this area do not cause pain; pain can only appear with pressure or as a result of mechanical impact.
Hygroma often occurs in the following areas:
- On the palm, near the thumb. In such cases, pain is noted when squeezing and loading.
- Near the base of the fingers. As a rule, such neoplasms are small in size and quite painful.
- On the finger phalanges (one or two). Since there are many nerve fibers in this area, the seals here are quite painful.
- On the front of the foot near the shin or on the back side.
Causes of lumps on the hand
Soft, dense tumors are most often found near small and large joints. They can form as a result of mechanical impact (impact, bruise, etc.), prolonged monotonous load on these areas, or an inflammatory process occurring in them.
In older people, such formations can develop against the background of an accumulation of connective tissue fragments near tendons or joints.
Lumps usually appear on the outer surface of the hand, which is constantly in a tense working condition. This may be due to heavy physical labor, as well as constant work on the computer.
If you shine a flashlight on a subcutaneous lump in complete darkness, you can discern some iridescent substance resembling a gel.
Symptoms of hygroma
The tumor develops quite quickly. First, a small compaction appears, which soon turns into one or several bumps located close to each other. The process may be accompanied by mild pain, which is often characterized as a dull ache. If the lump presses on tendons, nerve fibers or blood vessels, the pain may intensify, which significantly impairs the quality of life. The dimensions of the neoplasm reach 3 cm.
Other signs include:
- the surface of the hygroma is dense and rough or completely smooth;
- the tumor is motionless, as it clings to neighboring tissues;
- as a rule, at the initial stage of tumor development, there is only liquid in the hygroma capsule;
- In the future, blood clots may appear, like small balls.
Although this is an absolutely safe neoplasm that does not develop metastases, it is still better to cure it. Firstly, it looks rather unaesthetic, and secondly, it still causes some discomfort that interferes with normal life activities.
Therefore, it is better not to postpone a visit to the clinic, especially if the lump begins to increase in size.
Contact a specialist
If a lump under the skin appears on your stomach, legs and arms, buttocks or back, you should definitely visit a doctor and undergo an appropriate examination. If necessary, the surgeon may refer the patient to a dermatologist or oncologist.
In such a situation, you should never self-medicate, as this can lead to serious complications, the development of inflammatory processes, as well as severe irreversible consequences.
Diagnostics
Regardless of whether a small ball has appeared under the skin, or a huge protrusion, you need to find out what kind of lump it is.
For this purpose, perform:
- inspection and palpation of the lump - evaluate the color, consistency, contours and size of the formation;
- When inflammatory processes are excluded, an ultrasound is performed.
- All neoplasms are subject to histological examination - it allows you to find out what tissue the lump consists of;
- general blood test, urine test;
- biochemical blood test.
It is not difficult to determine the presence of a lump on a bone in an adult, since it is noticeable, and even the patient himself can do this. It is much more difficult to establish the reason why it appeared. It is necessary, without delay, to pay a visit to the doctor. He will examine the patient, collect anamnesis, and prescribe a number of additional studies.
Dopplerography of the vascular apparatus and x-ray studies will help in making a diagnosis. The results of a general blood test provide some information. An ultrasound of the thyroid gland may be prescribed, since it is the pathology on its part that causes situations in which various seals appear.
Particular attention should be paid to children. If a lump appears and grows on a child’s bone, you should immediately consult a doctor in order to exclude the development of cancer.
Treatment of neoplasms
Often people turn to the doctor when a tumor that has appeared under the skin begins to hurt. After all, it is quite difficult to notice the moment the lumps appear: at first the tumors are small in size and do not bother the owner in any way.
Although there are many recommendations for getting rid of subcutaneous tumors, the most effective and reliable method is removal. The fact is that non-surgical methods of treating such tumors bring only temporary relief, after which the pathology reappears.
There are the following methods for removing subcutaneous bumps:
- Radio wave method. The formation is removed on an outpatient basis, the scars remaining after the operation resolve within 2.5-3 months.
- Using a laser. The subcutaneous seal is instantly removed, while the integrity of the surrounding tissue is not compromised. The advantage of this method is the absence of a rehabilitation period for scars.
- Liquid nitrogen is used to cauterize lipomas. This leaves a scar.
If the pathological compaction has reached a large size, it will have to be removed only in a hospital setting, using a regular scalpel. Before surgery, the doctor prescribes anti-inflammatory therapy for atheroma to prevent pus from entering the bloodstream. Naturally, after such an operation a long rehabilitation period will be required. Open intervention is also indicated for the formation of a malignant tumor.
At the first signs of a subcutaneous neoplasm, it is imperative to carry out diagnostic measures and undergo the necessary course of treatment. Do not try to determine the type of tumor and prescribe therapy yourself. The diagnosis should only be made by a specialist based on the studies performed.
Other reasons
The simplest reasons for the formation of lumps under the skin include the presence of foreign bodies. Such bodies include a variety of structures, from stone fragments to bullets. Naturally, here the lump completely depends on the foreign body itself and repeats its size.
Rheumatoid nodules. If this is the reason, then the lump is indicated not just by a seal on the skin, which does not manifest itself at all, but also by deformation of the joints.
Bumps are an unpleasant defect on the human body that occurs regardless of age and gender. A hard lump under the skin forms on all parts of the body: head, face, chin, back. Subcutaneous formations do not cause pain or harm, but cause discomfort if located in visible places. Development into malignant tumors is rare, but a trip to the doctor is mandatory.
A subcutaneous lump can be a “harmless” phenomenon from a blow, but it can also be a dangerous disease.
